Teen Dating Violence, Teen Leaders and Parents, Washington 2013
WASHINGTON – A chilling trend of teen dating violence has Washington officials on high alert. Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met with teen leaders and parents to discuss the issue.
As part of the Justice Department's year-long commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Holder and Duncan met with teen leaders, their parents and program directors from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships initiative.
The discussion around teen dating violence was held in conjunction with nationwide events as part of the 6th annual It's Time to Talk Day, organized annually by Liz Claiborne Inc. to draw national attention to the importance of talking about domestic violence, teen dating violence and intimate partner abuse.
“We must engage the broadest spectrum of community partners in order to stem youth violence, and a cornerstone of that partnership is young people themselves,” said Attorney General Holder. “The Justice Department is committed to working with young people to develop innovative solutions to help prevent teen dating abuse.”
“For too long we’ve been unwilling to face the reality that teen dating violence occurs,” said Secretary Duncan. “It’s been a taboo subject folks would simply not talk about. But we can’t afford to do that any more: too many young people are getting hurt. We must all do our part to break the silence and work toward eliminating teen dating violence.”
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Blue Shield of California Foundation are investing $18 million in 11 communities across the country to identify and evaluate the most promising pathways to stop dating violence and abuse before it starts.
Start Strong, the largest initiative ever funded to target 11-to-14-year-olds to promote healthy relationships as the way to prevent teen dating violence and abuse, is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Each community has developed a comprehensive plan that focuses on four core strategies involving education, policy change, community outreach and cutting-edge social marketing campaigns to empower teens to develop healthier relationships throughout their lives.
Liz Claiborne Inc. has organized It’s Time to Talk Day each year since 2004 to draw national attention to the importance of talking about domestic violence, teen dating violence and intimate partner abuse. Today's event in Washington, D.C. is one of many being held across the country in schools, communities and state and local governments.
Defendant: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships, Teen Dating Violence, Washington 2013
Defendant: Liz Claiborne Inc., It’s Time to Talk Day, Teen Dating Violence, Washington 2013
Defendant: Blue Shield of California Foundation, Teen Dating Violence, California 2013
Defendant: Family Violence Prevention Fund, Teen Dating Violence, National 2013
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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